Aliyah Boston
Aliyah Boston (born December 11, 2001) is an American professional basketball power forward and center for the Indiana Fever of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was named 2023 WNBA Rookie of the Year in a unanimous vote and the AP Rookie of the Year. She played college basketball at the University of South Carolina.
Born in Saint Thomas, United States Virgin Islands, Boston attended Worcester Academy in Worcester, Massachusetts, where she was a McDonald's All-American and a three-time Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year.[1] Boston has won several gold medals representing the United States.
Boston led South Carolina to their second national championship in school history in 2022 and was named the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player (MOP). That year, she also won Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year honors. Boston won the Lisa Leslie Award as the best center in NCAA women's basketball in four consecutive years.
On April 1, 2023, Boston declared for the 2023 WNBA draft. Boston chose to forgo her extra year of eligibility granted to college athletes due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[2] She ended her four-year collegiate career with a record of 129 wins and 9 losses.[3] Boston was the first overall pick in the WNBA draft on April 10, 2023, selected by the Indiana Fever.[4]
Early life
Boston was born on December 11, 2001, to parents Cleone and Al in Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Boston fell in love with basketball at age 9 watching her older sister Alexis play. At age 12, Aliyah and Alexis moved from their home in the Virgin Islands, to New England to live with their aunt, Jenaire Hodge, and her cousin, Kira Punter. Boston would only see her parents a few times over the following years, mostly to watch Aliyah's AAU basketball games.[5][6]
"When I first started playing, it was kind of just for fun, but then I realized how much you could get out of playing. So we've all had faith in God that I could; my goal is to go to college with a scholarship. God has helped us with that".
— Aliyah Boston[5]
Boston attended Worcester Academy in Worcester, Massachusetts, winning Gatorade Massachusetts Player of the Year honors in 2017, 2018, and 2019. Boston led her team to a 24–1 record and a second straight New England Prep School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) Class A championship in 2019. That year, she was a consensus All-American, averaging 17.3 points, 10.6 rebounds and 3.2 blocks per game. Boston was selected to play in the McDonald's All-American Game and the Jordan Brand Classic in 2019.[7]
A five-star recruit, Boston was ranked third in the ESPN HoopGurlz 2019 class.[8] Boston committed to Dawn Staley and the South Carolina Gamecocks over UConn, Ohio State, and Notre Dame, giving the Gamecocks the consensus number one recruiting class for 2019.[9]
College career
2019–20: Freshman season
In her first game at the University of South Carolina on November 5, 2019, Boston posted the first triple-double by a freshman in program history and the first by any NCAA Division I player in her career debut against Alabama State, including a school-record tying 10 blocks.[10] Boston helped lead the Gamecocks to a big early season road win against No. 4 Maryland scoring eight of the team's first 10 points and blocking five shots in the opening quarter.
In the 2019 Paradise Jam, Boston won Reef Division MVP after she had 20 points, and 13 rebounds in a win against No. 2 Baylor clinching the tournament championship. On January 20, 2020, Boston notched her eighth double-double of the season finishing with 12 rebounds, and 21 points in a win over No. 9 Mississippi State. Boston played a huge role in the No. 1 Gamecocks first-ever victory over the UConn Huskies on February 10, capturing her tenth double-double.[7]
Against LSU, Boston blocked five shots to become the program's all-time freshman blocks leader in a win. Boston would finish the regular season averaging a double-double against SEC competition (13.1 PPG/10.3 RPG) as the No. 1 Gamecocks (32–1) swept the SEC regular season and tournament championships.[7]
Boston was named consensus Freshman of the Year, and was part of the first team in Gamecock history to end the season ranked No. 1 in the nation, claiming that spot in both the AP Poll and the USA Today Coaches Poll, before the NCAA tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[7]
2020–21: Sophomore season
Boston started off the season hot against 23rd ranked Iowa State, recording five of the team's first 10 points which included a 3 pointer, she then scored four of her season high 13 points off offensive rebounds. Against Florida, Boston continued to show her all around game when she hit three 3's and recorded 28 points, 16 rebounds, and 4 blocks. Scoring 19 points, and 11 rebounds in the first half and became the 11th fastest Gamecock to score 500 points in her career. On January 10 in a win at 10th ranked Kentucky, Boston put up 20 points and 12 rebounds, scoring her fourth double double of the season and also included seven blocks, she would earn SEC co-player of the week honors. Boston helped secure a 104–82 win over 17th ranked Arkansas; she finished with 26 points and 16 rebounds. she scored six points, six rebounds and three blocks in the game's opening five minutes. On January 21 in a win vs. Georgia, Boston made history the program's first triple-double in SEC play finishing with 16 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 blocks. Against LSU, Boston notched her third straight double-double with 20 points, 14 rebounds. Facing a tough double team against Alabama, Boston remained poised and handed out a career high 6 assist to go with 13 rebounds. In a road game against UConn, Boston completed her eighth double-double on the season, pulling down 15 rebounds, including eight in the final 15 minutes.
Boston was crucial in the Gamecocks SEC Tournament Championship win, in the semifinals vs. Tennessee, Boston scored 15 points and 11 rebounds, and in the finals against Georgia scored 27 points, 10 rebounds. Boston was named SEC Tournament MVP, she recorded double doubles in all three of the Gamecocks games. In her NCAA Tournament debut against no. 16th seeded Mercer, she would notch a 20-point and 18 rebound game. In the elite eight against Texas, Boston scored six of her ten points the first quarter. Boston had 16 rebounds in the season ending loss against Stanford and missed a potential game winning lay-up at the buzzer as South Carolina lost 66–65. At the conclusion of the season, she was named Lisa Leslie award winner for the second straight year, was named consensus First Team All-American, and was named National Player of the year by The Athletic.[7]
Boston is also the first sophomore ever to be named by the College Sports Information Directors of America as its Academic All-American of the Year in D-I women's basketball, being so honored in 2021.[11]
2021–22: Junior season
On February 24 she broke the SEC record with her 20th consecutive double-double in the win at Texas A&M.
In the Final Four, she had in a win against #4 Louisville, 15 points and 10 rebounds. In South Carolina's 64–49 National Championship win over UConn, Boston had 11 points and 16 rebounds for her 30th double-double of the season. It was the program's second national championship. She was named the NCAA Tournament MOP.[12]
2022–23: Senior season
Boston scored 14 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in South Carolina's 76–71 win at No. 2 Stanford. On November 27, 2022, Boston suffered a leg injury in a win against Hampton. In the 2023 NCAA tournament, South Carolina advanced to the Final Four but lost 73–77 to Iowa which shattered their 42-game winning streak.[13]
She finished her senior year as a unanimous first-team All-American for the third consecutive year, and also won Naismith Defensive Player of the Year, the Lisa Leslie Award, SEC Player of the Year, and SEC Defensive Player of the Year.[14]
Professional career
WNBA (2023–present)
2023: Rookie of the Year
On April 10, 2023, Boston became the first overall pick in the 2023 WNBA draft, selected by the Indiana Fever (first in franchise history).[4] After her first four games, Boston won WNBA Rookie of the Month in May after averaging 15.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game.[15] On June 20, she was awarded WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week.[16] At the end of June, Boston was awarded WNBA Rookie of the Month again while also being named a starter for the 2023 WNBA All-Star Game – becoming just the eighth rookie in league history to start the game – finishing with six points and a team-high 11 rebounds.[17] Before the playoffs started, Boston won the final WNBA Rookie of the Month award of the season averaging 14.6 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game in August.[18]
At the end of the 2023 season, Boston was unanimously named WNBA Rookie of the Year.[19] She was also named annual Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press as well as earning AP All-Rookie Team recognition.[19] Furthermore, she became the first player in WNBA history to ever lead the league in field goal percentage (57.8%) as a rookie.[20]
2024: Sophomore season
On December 10, 2023, Boston represented the Fever at the 2024 WNBA draft lottery, helping Indiana secure the first overall pick for the second straight year, where they selected Caitlin Clark.[21]
On June 18, 2024, Boston was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week.[22] On July 2, 2024, Boston was named to the Team WNBA All-Star team and received the second most fan votes of any player (618,680 votes).[23]
Unrivaled (2024–present)
On October 31, 2024, it was announced that Boston would appear and play in the inaugural 2025 season of Unrivaled, the women's 3x3 basketball league founded by Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart.[24][25]
National team career
Boston has represented the United States at various international competitions, including the 2017 FIBA Under-16 Women's Americas Championship, 2018 Summer Youth Olympics, 2018 FIBA Under-17 Women's Basketball World Cup, and 2019 FIBA Under-19 Women's Basketball World Cup winning gold each time, she was named MVP of the FIBA Americas U16 Championship. Boston also won gold at the 2021 FIBA Women's AmeriCup.
Career statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game | RPG | Rebounds per game |
| APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game | BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
| TO | Turnovers per game | FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| Bold | Career best | ° | League leader |
| * | Denotes season(s) in which Boston won an NCAA Championship |
WNBA
Regular season
Stats current through end of 2024 season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Indiana | 40° | 40° | 31.2 | .578° | .400 | .745 | 8.4 | 2.2 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.9 | 14.5 |
| 2024 | Indiana | 40° | 40° | 30.9 | .529 | .269 | .736 | 8.9 | 3.2 | 0.9 | 1.2 | 2.0 | 14.0 |
| Career | 2 years, 1 team | 80 | 80 | 31.1 | .552 | .306 | .741 | 8.6 | 2.7 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.9 | 14.2 |
| All-Star | 2 | 1 | 13.7 | .556 | .000 | .000 | 6.5 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 5.0 |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Indiana | 2 | 2 | 32.5 | .577 | — | .750 | 15.0° | 3.0 | 0.5 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 16.5 |
| Career | 1 year, 1 team | 2 | 2 | 32.5 | .577 | — | .750 | 15.0 | 3.0 | 0.5 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 16.5 |
College
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019–20 | South Carolina | 33 | 33 | 23.8 | .608 | .167 | .738 | 9.4 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 2.6 | 1.1 | 12.5 |
| 2020–21 | South Carolina | 31 | 31 | 30.3 | .485 | .265 | .764 | 11.5 | 1.6 | 1.2 | 2.6 | 1.6 | 13.7 |
| 2021–22* | South Carolina | 37 | 37 | 27.5 | .542 | .292 | .771 | 12.5 | 2.0 | 1.2 | 2.4 | 1.5 | 16.8 |
| 2022–23 | South Carolina | 37 | 37 | 26.2 | .559 | .105 | .753 | 9.8 | 1.9 | .5 | 2.0 | 1.2 | 13.0 |
| Career | 138 | 138 | 27.2 | .546 | .242 | .759 | 10.8 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 2.4 | 1.4 | 14.1 |
Awards
- WNBA
- WNBA Rookie of the Year: 2023
- 2x WNBA All-Star: 2023, 2024
- WNBA All-Rookie Team: 2023
- WNBA field goal percentage leader: 2023
- Indiana Fever
- NCAA
- NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player: 2022
- Naismith College Player of the Year: 2022
- USBWA Women's National Player of the Year: 2022
- John R. Wooden Award: 2022
- Wade Trophy: 2022
- AP Women's College Basketball Player of the Year: 2022
- 4× Lisa Leslie Award: 2020–2023
- 2× Naismith Defensive Player of the Year: 2022, 2023
- 3× AP First-team All-American: 2021, 2022, 2023
- 3× USBWA First-team All-American: 2021, 2022, 2023
- 2x WBCA First-team All-American: 2021, 2022
- AP Second-team All-American: 2020
- USBWA Second-team All-American: 2020
- USBWA National Freshman of the Year: 2020
- WBCA Freshman of the Year: 2020
- Honda-Broderick Cup: 2022
- Honda Sports Award: 2022
- Honda Cup Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year: 2022
- 2x SEC Player of the Year: 2022, 2023
- 2x SEC tournament MVP: 2021, 2023
- SEC Freshman of the Year: 2020
- 4× First-team All-SEC: 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
- 4× SEC All-Defensive Team: 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
- 4× SEC Defensive Player of the Year: 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
- 2× Academic All-American of the Year, D-I women's basketball: 2021, 2022
- International
- FIBA Under-16 Women's Americas Championship MVP (2017)
- FIBA Under-17 Women's Basketball World Cup All-Tournament Team (2018)
- High school
- 3x Gatorade Massachusetts Player of the Year (2017, 2018, 2019)
- USA Today Massachusetts Player of the Year (2019)
- Naismith All-America Second Team (2019)
- WBCA All-America Second Team (2019)
- McDonald's All-America (2019)
- SLAM All-America (2019)
- Media
Records
NCAA
- Most career rebounds in the NCAA tournament: 199
- Most career offensive rebounds in the NCAA tournament: 70
- Highest career average rebounds per game in the NCAA tournament: 12.4
Southeastern Conference
- Most career triple-doubles: 2
- Most consecutive double-doubles in a single season: 27 (2021–22)
South Carolina Gamecocks
Career
- Most career games started: 138
- Most consecutive games started: 138
- Most career rebounds: 1,493
- Most career offensive rebounds: 518
- Most career defensive rebounds: 975
- Most career triple-doubles: 2
- Most career double-doubles: 82
Senior (2022–23)
- Most games played in a single season: 37
- Most games started in a single season: 37
Junior (2021–22)
- Most games played in a single season: 37
- Most games started in a single season: 37
- Most rebounds in a single season: 462
- Most offensive rebounds in a single season: 150
- Most defensive rebounds in a single season: 312
- Most shots blocked by a junior: 90
- Most double-doubles posted in a single season: 30
- Most consecutive double-doubles posted in a single season: 27 (2021–22)
- Most offensive rebounds in a single game: 12 (March 24, 2022)
- Highest field goal percentages in a single game: 100.0% (November 29, 2021)
- Fastest player to reach 1,000 points
Sophomore (2020–21)
- Most shots blocked in a single game: 10 (January 21, 2021)
- First player to post a triple-double in an SEC game (January 21, 2021)
Freshman (2019–20)
- Most games started by a freshman: 33
- Most shots blocked by a freshman: 86
- Most double-doubles posted by a freshman: 13
- Most shots blocked in a single game: 10 (November 5, 2019)
- First freshman to post a triple-double (November 5, 2019)
Personal life
Boston graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2023 with a degree in communications.[28] As of 2023 she planned to work in broadcast sports journalism after her playing career.[29] She later joined NBC Sports as a studio analyst for their Big Ten and Notre Dame women's basketball coverage after her rookie season.
References
- ^ "Aliyah Boston". Usab.com. Archived from the original on March 26, 2020.
- ^ Smith, Jordan C. (March 15, 2022). "Academic Impact of COVID-19 in Collegiate Athletes". Kansas Journal of Medicine. 15. University of Kansas Medical Center: 101–105. PMC 8942400. PMID 35345576.
- ^ Philippou, Alexa (April 1, 2023). "South Carolina star Aliyah Boston declares for WNBA draft". ESPN. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
- ^ a b "LIVE: Indiana Fever pick Aliyah Boston No. 1 in 2023 WNBA Draft". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
- ^ a b "Far From Home, Aliyah Boston Has Found A Home On The Court With USA Basketball". Archived from the original on August 15, 2020. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
- ^ "Where will Aliyah Boston take her two gold medals next?". September 27, 2018. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e "Aliyah Boston". GamecocksOnline.com. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
- ^ "2019 HoopGurlz Recruiting Rankings - espnW 100". Retrieved June 20, 2021.
- ^ "No. 3 prospect Aliyah Boston joins the talented crowd headed to South Carolina". November 22, 2018. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
- ^ "Boston's triple-double sets tone for No. 8 Gamecocks". ESPN.com. November 6, 2019.
- ^ "Corey Kispert of Gonzaga, Aliyah Boston of South Carolina Lead Academic All-America® NCAA Division I Men's & Women's Basketball Teams" (PDF) (Press release). College Sports Information Directors of America. May 28, 2021. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
- ^ Evans, Jace (April 3, 2022). "South Carolina dominates Connecticut to secure second national championship". USA Today. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
- ^ Feinberg, Doug (April 1, 2023). "Clark, Iowa end perfect South Carolina season in Final Four". Associated Press News. Archived from the original on April 1, 2023.
- ^ "Aliyah Boston - University of South Carolina". Retrieved June 25, 2023.
- ^ "Aliyah Boston Earns 'Rookie of the Month', Marks Historic Debut in WNBA". vinews.org. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
- ^ @WNBA (June 20, 2023). "🏀 Week 4 Players of the Week 🏀 Eastern Conference: @aa_boston @IndianaFever 22.3 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 1.7 BPG 2-1 week record Western Conference: @jewellloyd @seattlestorm 24.3 PPG, 3.7 APG, 1.0 SPG 2-1 week record #MoreThanGame" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Brittney Griner, Aliyah Boston named WNBA All-Star starters". ESPN. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
- ^ "Aliyah Boston Earns Third WNBA Rookie of the Month Recognition". fever.wnba.com. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
- ^ a b "Aliyah Boston Named 2023 WNBA Rookie of the Year". Indiana Fever. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
- ^ "2023 Player Review: Aliyah Boston". Fever.wnba.com. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
- ^ "Indiana Fever again land No. 1 overall pick in WNBA draft lottery". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
- ^ "Aliyah Boston Named WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week". fever.wnba.com. WNBA. June 18, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
- ^ "Rosters Set for AT&T WNBA All-Star 2024 on July 20". WNBA (Press release). July 2, 2024.
- ^ @Unrivaledwbb (October 31, 2024). "ALIYAH BOSTON IS UNRIVALED👑 PLAYER 30/36✅" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Peterson, Chloe (October 31, 2024). "Aliyah Boston to join Unrivaled, becoming second Indiana Fever player in new 3x3 league". Indianapolis Star. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
- ^ "Aliyah Boston WNBA Stats". Basketball Reference.
- ^ @IndianaFever (September 13, 2024). "a rebounding machine 💪" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Aliyah Boston's busy weekend: From graduation to WNBA debut". Just Women's Sports. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
- ^ "Aliyah Boston's mind is as sharp as her shooting". University of South Carolina. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from WNBA.com and Basketball Reference
- South Carolina Gamecocks bio
- ESPN Player Overview
- Aliyah Boston at FIBA (archive)
- Aliyah Boston at FIBA 3x3
- Aliyah Boston at Eurobasket.com
- Aliyah Boston at Olympedia